The Crisis in a Nutshell: The Secret’s Out

“We wish that this would not happen.” —Philip Crowley, an assistant secretary of state

“The coming months will see a new world, where global history is redefined.” —WikiLeaks on Twitter

“To the extent that we can find anybody who was involved in the breaking of American law, who put at risk the assets and the people I have described, they will be held responsible; they will be held accountable.” —Attorney General Eric Holder

“WikiLeaks could be designated a foreign terrorist organization.” —Peter King, a Republican congressman for New York

“Assange is not a ‘journalist,’ any more than the ‘editor’ of al Qaeda’s new English-language magazine Inspire is a ‘journalist.’ … Why was he not pursued with the same urgency we pursue al Qaeda and Taliban leaders?” —Sarah Palin

“This is [the Obama Administration’s] September 11th in the field of diplomacy.” —Gennady Zyuganov, leader of the opposition Communist Party in Russia

“The danger of letting it go on is greater than the danger of stopping it.” —Bahrain’s King Hamadbin Isa al-Khalifa, referring to Iran’s nuclear program in one of the released cables

“We don’t think this information was leaked. We think it was organized [by the U.S.] to be released on a regular basis and they are pursuing political goals.” —Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

“Frequent late nights and a penchant for partying hard means [Silvio Berlusconi] never gets sufficient rest.” —a U.S. diplomat in one of the released cables

“Once a month, I throw dinner parties at my houses, where everything takes place in a proper, dignified and elegant way.” —Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi

“[President Dmitry Medvedev] plays Robin to [Vladimir] Putin’s Batman.” —a U.S. diplomat in one of the released cables

“If the WikiLeaks site did not exist, Israel would have to invent it.” —Sever Plocker, an Israeli newspaper columnist

“The prince mused that outsiders could do little to change the culture of corruption here. They themselves have to have a change of heart. Just like you have to cure yourself of anorexia.” —Tatiana Gfoeller, Washington’s ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, in one of the released cables about Prince Andrew